Deadly Decision
by Whisper In the Wind89
Summary: Completed: Ichigo finally has the nerve to tell Rukia how he feels. Rukia does the same thing. What happens? Just read and find out.
1. Chapter 1 Something is Afoot

Now, I will try to update often as in like 2-3 times a week. School might get in the way somewhat. So If I can't update often, 99 chance of having maybe a one a week update.

Disclaimer - I don't own this. I guess...

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"Ahhh!" A loud shout pierced through the house. It was by luck that Ichigo's father took his two sisters to the park. Ichigo even took the mod soul pill out of Kon so that he could have some peace and quiet. But he forgot to factor in one thing that could ruin, and has ruined it all. Rukia.

Ichigo sat in front of the bathroom rubbing the lump on his head. Rukia stood there, in the bathroom, clutching the towel wrapped around her exposed form tightly. A light blush formed across her face as she glared at the door. She waited until she heard Ichigo walk off, muttering swear words under his breath.

When she felt he had left, she quickly dried up herself and then put on the pair of pajamas that she brought into the bathroom. Ichigo bought them for her the other day. They had little bunny faces on them that looked like Chappy. She was so excited when Ichigo came home with a pair of them for her. She started jumping up and down filled with joy like when a little kid gets a new toy to play with.

When she walked into Ichigo's room, she glanced over at his bed and saw him just laying there with his head resting on his hands. She was drying her hair with towel as she slowly made her way to the window. Then she unlocked it and slid it open. A cool and gentle breeze entered the room. Rukia let the towel fall to the ground and closed her eyes as she took a deep breath of the calming air.

Suddenly she was abruptly broken out of her trance-like state when she felt something on her head. She opened her eyes only to find that her towel had been placed on top of her head. She took the towel off and found Ichigo stand there next to her. He had one hand in his pocket and another rubbing the back of his head.

"What was that for?" She asked, slightly irritated. Ichigo shook his head at her as he shove his other hand into the other pocket.

"Cause," he said, "You'll get a cold if you let cold air touch your hair while it's still wet. And I don't want you to get sick." Ichigo said.

"So do you care about me now, or something?" Rukia said sarcastically. Ichigo shook his head again as he sat down on his bed.

"No it's not that dip. I just didn't feel like taking care of you if you did get sick." He said with a slight smirk on his face. Rukia tried not to let that get to her, but it showed on her face.

Just then Ichigo did something unexpected. "I'm just kidding ya dope head." He said with a smile. "If you were sick I would take care of you." Rukia was a little surprised by this. A small blush began to form, but she turned her head to look out the window before Ichigo could notice.

'_What is he trying to do?'_ she thought to herself. _'Is he trying to piss me off or something?' _Ichigo then laid down on his bed and pulled up the blanket to cover him.

"Rukia can you close the window and turn off the light when you go to sleep?" He asked, his back turned to her.

"I'm not your maid." She simply replied with a stubborn look on her face.

"Good night, Rukia." He simply said. "Soon…" he whispered to himself. Then he drifted off to sleep, snoring lightly. Rukia just stood there glaring at him as she closed and locked the window. Then she walked over to her closet and slid open the door. She turned off the lights and hopped into the closet.


	2. Chapter 2 Shopping Spree!

Ichigo sat in the park watching his sisters play on the playground. The day was sunny and not a cloud in the sky. It was one of those carefree days where you could feel like doing anything instead of being stuffed up in the house. Though his eyes were following Yuzu and Karin, Ichigo's mind was elsewhere.

Rukia was at the mall with Inoue and Tatsuki being dragged from store to store. She initially didn't agree to go with them, but was tricked into going. She received a phone call from Inoue saying that she needed her help on something. Then when Rukia arrived at her house, Inoue and Tatsuki were standing there with evil grins on their faces. Well, Tatsuki had an evil grin, but Inoue was making weird faces and saying strange things.

She was forced to then go with them as they went on a shopping spree.

"Wow! Look at this dress Rukia. It's so beautiful and it matches your eyes." Inoue held up the dress for Rukia to see. It had beautiful black flower design on the bottom of the dress. Rukia's eyes widened as she saw just how good the dress looked.

"Try it on!" Tatsuki said. She then directed Rukia to the dressing room and she began to try it on. When she stepped out of the dressing room, both Inoue and Tatsuki were amazed. Rukia looked perfect in it.

"Wow! You look so stunning." Inoue said as she tried to pull up her jaw which had dropped all the way to the floor. Rukia blushed lightly as she looked in the mirror and saw herself. She did look great.

"You have to buy that. I bet Ichigo would really like that." Inoue said involuntarily. Rukia glanced at her for a moment and thought about it.

"He would wouldn't he?" She replied. So they bought the dress and continued shopping.

'All according to the plan.' Inoue thought to herself.

Ichigo, Yuzu, and Karin all sat there slurping happily away at their ice cream. Ichigo had bought some from the vender that walked around the park. He looked at his watch.

"They should be finished by now." He whispered.

"Did you say something Onii-chan?" Yuzu asked. Ichigo began to laugh trying to wave it off as nothing. He blushed lightly as he continued slurping his ice cream. Both Yuzu and Karin noticed that he had been acting weird. As they were walking home, Ichigo's cell phone rang. He fumbled through his pocket until he answered it.

"It's going smoothly." The voice said. Ichigo smiled and thanked the person as he hanged up.

"Let's go in here!" Inoue grabbed a hold of Rukia as she nearly ripped Rukia's arm off going into the beauty shop. She began going through all the making, asking Rukia if she could put some on her to see how it would look. Before long, Rukia was covered with all kinds of blush, mascara, eyeliner, and other random assortment of make-up.

Rukia began coughing from the all the scents that Inoue and Tatsuki sprayed all over her. They began arguing about what smelled good on her and what didn't. Rukia felt like a test subject for them to test their beauty tips on. When Inoue finally decided on something, she bought her things and then they left.

Inoue left skipping happily still holding onto Rukia, who was tripping over herself trying to skip like Inoue. When they arrived at the house, Inoue put all of her stuff on the floor and headed towards the kitchen. Then she stopped and looked around.

"Wait a minute where is Tatsuki?" She said suddenly.

"I'm over here." A voice called from the kitchen. Tatsuki then emerged waving at them. Inoue smiled as she said she was going to make a pizza. After she put everything into the oven, Inoue began to gossip with the girls.

"Hey Rukia do you have a boyfriend?" Inoue asked. Rukia gave her a blank expression.

"Yeah, I have lots of boy friends. There's Sado, Ishida, Keigo, Ichigo, and everyone back at Soul Society." She answered. Inoue's and Tatsuki's head drooped a little after she answered them.

"No. What Inoue meant was is there a guy in your life that is very close to you?" Tatsuki corrected. Rukia began to wonder why they were asking such questions.

"Well I do have my brother Byakuya…"

"NO!" Inoue yelled randomly. "I meant is there someone you love." Rukia was a bit taken back by her sudden outburst. She repeated the words in her mind.

"Well…"


	3. Chapter 3 Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ichigo was sitting in his room reading a book when Rukia came through his window. His back was turned and he had music playing on his MP3 player in his ears. They were so loud that he did not hear Rukia come in. She walked over to the closet and placed her new dress underneath her bedding, and then closed the door. Ichigo turned around when he felt the vibration of the closet door sliding to a close.

"Where have you been?" He asked casually. He took off his ear phones as he turned in his chair. Rukia smiled as she sat down on his bed.

"So now you're worried about me? Ichigo I'm surprised. I didn't you cared about me that much. I'm sorry if I worried you." She smirked at him.

"No. It's just you'd normally tell you where you go before going." He said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"So I have to tell you where I go every time I go somewhere?" She said trying to poke a little fun out of him. Ichigo growled lightly as he tightly clenched his fist, raising it in a threatening way.

"Nevermind." He said as he turned around again to go back to his reading. Rukia giggled a bit as she made her way to him. She lightly tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned around slightly annoyed.

"What?" He asked slightly raising his tone.

"I'm going to go pee." She stated innocently.

"Why did you tell me that?" He asked slightly irritated.

"Well since you care about me so much, I have to tell you every where I go so you don't get worried about me." She smiled Ichigo started to raise that fist again. She burst out laughing, as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Relax." She said. "I'm just trying to have some fun." And with that she left to go to the bathroom. Ichigo went back to reading his book as a light blush formed on his face.

"That was close." He thought to himself as he read his book with a small smile on his face. Rukia laid in the bathtub soaking in the warm water. Her thoughts wandered off to earlier today.

"_Hey Rukia do you have a boyfriend?" _

"_Yeah, I have lots of boy friends. There's Sado, Ishida, Keigo, Ichigo, and everyone back at Soul Society." _

"_No. What Inoue meant was is there a guy in your life that is very close to you?" _

"_Well I do have my brother Byakuya…"_

"_NO! I meant is there someone you love." _

"_Well…"_

"_Well what? Tell us." Inoue said impatiently._

"_You promise you won't tell anyone?" Rukia asked. Both Inoue and Tatsuki nodded and leaned in closer to hear her better._

"_Well the truth is I really don't love anyone. Being a part of a noble family taught me to not have useless feelings for anyone like that." Rukia stated. Inoue and Tatsuki were surprised with this._

"_Then wait." Tatsuki said. "What do you base the reason for getting married on?" She asked. Inoue looked at Tatsuki and then back at Rukia and nodded._

"_We get married to the person who we think is one of the strongest shinigami." Rukia said as the bell rang in the kitchen._

"_Oh my pizza is done." She said happily skipping into the kitchen. Rukia sat drinking her tea. Tatsuki sat there with a grin on her face as she stared off into the distance._

_Inoue walked out with three plates and a pan of pizza. When she put it down on the table, Tatsuki and Rukia stared at it for a moment wondering what type of pizza it was. It had a different smell to it that they couldn't quite name. _

"_Umm Inoue, what kind of pizza is this?" Rukia asked as she poked at it._

"_It's my favorite. It's sweet and sour chicken pizza!" She said with a smile on her face. Tatsuki groaned lightly as Rukia hesitantly picked up a piece. She inspected it thoroughly before she took a bite out of it. Tatsuki watched as she slowly chewed it and eventually swallowing it._

_Suddenly Rukia began to gobble down her piece of pizza. Tatsuki was surprised. Before she could recovered from her shock, Tatsuki watched as Rukia grabbed another piece and gobbled it down._

"_Oh wow this is so good!" Rukia exclaimed as she finished up eating her second piece. Tatsuki looked down at the pizza. There were small pieces of chicken, green bell peppers, yellow onions, and pineapples all on top of a sweet and sour type sauce. After inspecting the pizza as well, Tatsuki reached out and grabbed a piece and then slowly put it in her mouth. Once her taste buds got a hold of the flavor it, she too began to gobble it down._

_Inoue watched as they slowly ate up nearly all of the pizza. She had two slices on her plate. She ate it slowly with her chopsticks chopping up the pizza and eating the individual pieces. After it was all said and done, Rukia had 6 pieces and Tatsuki had 5 pieces of pizza. Inoue only ate two pieces. There was an awkward silence between the three as they let their belly settle before Inoue randomly spoke._

"_Let's talk about guys that we would love to have as boyfriends." Rukia and Tatsuki were a little caught off guard by this. "Tatsuki you first." She smiled._

_Tatsuki glared at her for a moment before scoffing and answering. "I would have to say Sado. He looks so big and strong, it just kind of turns me on." Inoue giggled like a little girl as Tatsuki lightly blushed._

"_Your turn Rukia," Inoue said through her giggle. "Who would you say would make the perfect husband?" Rukia sat there thinking about it for a moment before speaking._

"_Well I would have to say…"_

"Oi! Rukia you done yet? I still need to brush my teeth and take a shower." Ichigo knocked on the bathroom door. Ichigo stood there growling lightly as he waited impatiently for her to finish. He had a towel in his hand and some spare clothes in the other.

Rukia just sunk deeper into the water as she smiled.

"Oh Ichigo."

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I work at a pizza place and I made a sweet and sour chicken pizza. Everyone that tasted it, really liked it. Its good.


	4. Chapter 4 The Letter

Rukia laid on the ground in Ichigo's room drawing feverishly. She recently made Ichigo buy a book on how to draw manga characters for her. Every drawing that she made ended up being Chappy wearing many different styles of clothing in all kinds of action poses. Ichigo was sitting as his table writing something. Every now and then Rukia would let out a squeal of delight over her drawing, which Ichigo would turn around and stare at her awkwardly.

After she finished up her last drawing, Rukia looked up at Ichigo who had been working on something all this time. She didn't notice this since she was so preoccupied with drawing manga characters. She got up with a few of her drawings ready to show Ichigo. As she walked up behind him, she lightly tapped his shoulder. At first he didn't respond, but when she tapped him again he just shrugged her off. This irritated her.

"Ichigo look at my drawings!" She happily stated, holding them high for him to see. When he continued to ignore her, she grew frustrated. She grabbed a hold of his shoulder and shook him violently. He let out a big sigh as he grabbed a hold of her wrist and stood up. When he stood up, Rukia began to hover above the ground because she was so short and Ichigo was taller than her. She tried to squirm out of his grasp, but could not.

"I'm busy right now." He said as he let go of her wrist and let her fall to the ground. He sat back down and went back to working on what was on his desk. Rukia, holding onto her sore wrist, was determined to get Ichigo to see her drawings. She stood up and dusted her skirt. She grabbed the drawings and almost pounced on him.

Ichigo felt her right behind him and quickly put away what it was he was doing in one of his shelves. As Rukia was about to pounce on him, Ichigo got up and quickly turned around. He caught Rukia in mid-air and held onto her tightly. She blushed lightly as he buried his head in her hair, inhaling the scent of her hair.

"Oh Rukia…" He whispered. He had a smile on his face as he ran his hand up and down her back. She couldn't help but blush madly as she didn't know whether to try and escape his grasp or stay like this. Suddenly her train of thought was broken. Ichigo began to laugh as he released his hold on her. She looked up at him, face still flushed.

"You're so funny." He said with a big smile. Rukia had a bewildered look on her face. She had no idea what was going on and she didn't like it. With her face still flushed, she opened her closet door and jumped in. She closed it shut and did not come out again. Ichigo sat down with a smile on his face and opened the drawer that had what he was working on earlier.

"Well that worked perfectly." He chuckled as he continued to write. When he finished it, he put it away and then hopped into bed. He turned off the light and went to sleep. Rukia laid in the closet staring at the dark ceiling. Her face was still a little flushed from earlier, but it soon went away when she drifted off to sleep.

Ichigo woke up the next morning clutching his head. Rukia opened the closet just a crack and peeked through it. Ichigo laid there yawning as he reached down into his pants and scratched his private parts. Rukia blushed lightly as she watched him. Then he got out of his bed and took his shirt off. He walked to his dresser and grabbed another shirt to put on. Then he walked out of his room and down the stairs.

Rukia waited until she could no longer hear his footsteps before she jumped out of the closet. She looked around the room and began to think. Suddenly curiosity came over her and she began to wonder what it was Ichigo was working on when she wanted to show him her drawings. She walked over to his desk and began to look on the surface.

As soon as she found nothing of interest, she began to go through the drawers. She went through all of the drawers and yet she found nothing but old school work and pictures. She lightly punched the top of the desk when she didn't find anything. Then she looked down at the desk, she knocked at the top and notice that there was a hollow echo to it. She began to feel under the desk and found that it could be lifted up.

Many of the items on the desk fell to the ground in a loud clattering sound. Rukia looked into the pile of things inside the drawer, but found nothing unusual. Then she came across an envelope that had her name on it. She turned it over and began to open it. She pulled out a folder piece of paper and began to read the writing.

"_Dear Rukia,_

_There are so many things I want to say to you. It's been awhile since you first came into my room looking for that hollow that attacked my family. At first, I thought you were just a little stuck up brat. Now, I no longer see that. I see someone that has become a part of my life in a big way. Every time I was with you, there was this voice in my head. It wasn't the hollow in me, but something else. It was then that I realized it was my heart. Rukia… I think I am in love with you. I can't explain it. This is the first time that I have felt something like this. And I only feel like this when I am around you..."_

Rukia held the letter in her hand as she read it over again. Her eyes were glued onto the page until she heard a cough. Her head shot up to find Ichigo standing there with a little smirk on his face. She grew nervous as he walked up to her and stood towering above her. For the first time in her life she felt small and weak.

Ichigo suddenly did something unexpected. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. She was taken back by this and didn't know how to react. She looked up at him. His eyes were closed and his face had a happiness to it that she had not seen before. Just then Ichigo let go, and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Ichigo… what is this?" She asked still holding the letter in her hand. Ichigo placed his hand under her chin as he took the letter from her hand.

"Ever since we met, I knew you were someone different." He placed the letter on the table as he continued.

"When you were forced to go back to soul society, something in me felt empty. I didn't know what it was until I laid in bed one night and thought about it. Rukia…" He took her hand in his.

"I'm falling in love with you, and I like it." Rukia stared into his eyes as he leaned closer to her. Suddenly she pulled away and turned her head. She had a look of regret on her face as Ichigo wondered what was wrong. Then she faced him once again and looked deeply into his eyes.

"Ichigo… I'm sorry…"


	5. Chapter 5 Kurosaki Isshin

Ichigo stood there silent; his eyes were downcast as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. Rukia watched with concern as she felt bad for him. A sudden surge of Reiatsu flew into the air. Rukia felt it and froze.

'_What was that?'_ She thought to herself. It was so intense that she could not move after sensing it. Ichigo cough lightly, which snapped Rukia out of her thoughts. She walked over to him and reached out to him. She placed a hand on his shoulder as he turned his head to her hand.

"Ichigo… I'm sorry." She said again. "I see you as like my friend." She whispered. There was a moment of silence before Ichigo lightly sighed. He placed a hand on hers and looked up with a smile.

"It's OK." He said. "I always said to myself, 'If you don't try, then you will regret it later.'" Rukia gave him a weak smile as she patted him on the shoulder. He let go of her hand and it fell back to her side. Ichigo ruffled up his hair as he let out a sigh.

"I'm hungry." He said randomly. "Let's go get something to eat." Rukia smiled as she nodded. Ichigo let her out of the room. As he walked out he grabbed a small green ball and placed it in his pocket. He closed the door behind him and walked down the stairs.

Rukia got her shoes on and was about to head out the door before Ichigo called out to her. When she turned around, there was a jacket hurling right at her. It hit her in her face, which caused her to lose her balance and almost fall. She grabbed it off her face and gave him a menacing look as she clenched her fist.

"What was that for?" She asked as she put on the jacket.

"It's raining outside dopey." He said as he put on his jacket. After she zipped up her coat, they both headed out. Rukia and Ichigo ran down the street through the rain until they stopped at a small restaurant. Ichigo led her in, almost making her trip over herself. A sense of bewilderment filled her thoughts as she looked around the place.

It was a cozy little gourmet place. Ichigo walked over to a table and sat down, calling out to Rukia to sit also. She walked over to his table and sat across from him.

"Where are we?" She asked, still looking around the place, trying to find something that could help her identify the place.

"It's a little diner type place that I like to go to by myself." He said. "It's where I go when I want to grab a light snack and think to myself about things without being interrupted."

"But you can do that at home." Rukia said. Ichigo scoffed at the statement.

"I've got you in my closet and my father constantly sneaking up on me and trying his hidden attacks on me everyday. Here, I can relax and enjoy the silence." He had a smile on his face that is not normally seen on his lips. Rukia was wondering what was going with him.

After telling him that she didn't feel the same way, she felt that sudden surge of Reiatsu fill the room. It was so strong, that it sent chills up her spine. She was so scared that her hand started to tremble. Her thoughts were interrupted again by the waitress.

"Hey Ichigo, welcome back." She said cheerfully. Ichigo looked up at said his hello to her.

"Who's this? Your sister?" She asked. Rukia looked up at her wondering how she could mistake her for Ichigo's sister.

"Nah." He chuckled lightly. "It's a friend from school. I ran into her while coming here and asked if she wanted to come along." He said. The two talked for another minute before she finally took their order. After she took their orders, she bowed as she walked back to the kitchen and gave the order to the cook. A moment later she came out with two cups of tea for them. Ichigo thanked her as he took a sip of it.

Rukia's head was filled with questions. What was that large Reiatsu she felt earlier? Why is Ichigo acting all happy and cheerful, even after I said I didn't feel the same way? Why is being so nice? There were just too many questions and she had to get them out.

"Ichigo…" She began. "I need to ask you something." He looked her right in the eyes as he continued to sip his tea.

"What are you doing?" She asked. Ichigo gave her a weird look as he put down his tea.

"What are you talking about?" He asked. 'That was weird.' He thought to himself.

"What are you doing?" She repeated herself. "You just got rejected by the girl you had feelings for and now you're acting like it never happened. And that reiat-"

"Enough." His sudden outburst startled Rukia and even the waitress. She poked her head out from the curtain that leads to the kitchen. Ichigo slammed his tea onto the table. He had a distant look on his face. His eyes were no longer on Rukia.

"I'm sor-"

"Don't…" He said. There was a sudden surge of Reiatsu in the air. Rukia felt that same Reiatsu when they were in Ichigo's room. She started to tremble lightly as Ichigo sat still. His eyes focused down towards the ground. His face no longer had a happy expression on it. It was now grave looking and serious. He put his hand over his face as he turned his head to look away.

"_Oh Ichigo…" _Ichigo suddenly began to tremble. His hand began to shake uncontrollably. Rukia became worried. Ichigo jumped out of his seat causing it to fall on the ground with a loud crash. He then fell to his knees as he started breathing heavily. Rukia started to sense a strong Reiatsu grow within him. It grew stronger than before.

"_Come on!"_

The waitress ran out to see what was going on. The cook also ran out to see what the commotion was. A couple sitting at the other side of the restaurant stood up and began to look. They were the only other people in there.

Rukia quickly got out of her chair and rushed to his side. She bent down and placed a hand on his back. Suddenly he jumped into the air and stared straight into her eyes. There was a look of horror in his eyes. He began to back away from Rukia as she looked on with great concern.

Just then Ichigo ran out of the restaurant and down the road. Rukia quickly got to her feet and ran outside. She looked down the road, but she could not see him. She couldn't sense his Reiatsu either. It was almost as though he vanished into thin air.

"He's gone." A voice said. She turned around and almost fell backwards in disbelief.

"You won't find him anywhere near here."

"You're…Isshin!"


	6. Chapter 6 Soul Society Under Attack

Kurosaki Isshin stood there grinning in his Shinigami outfit. Rukia stood there amazed as he held onto his waist belt looking up at the sky.

"You've noticed it too, haven't you?" He said. Rukia was still awe-struck to give him an answer, but was able to shake that off and nod. He sighed as he shook his head. He began to turn to walk away before Rukia stopped him.

"Wait!" She yelled. "What's going on with him?" She asked. Isshin stood there for a second before turning his head to face her. He walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up as his now serious face.

"He lost…" Isshin simply spoke. "Over the past few days I've noticed his Reiatsu jump up and down. It's almost like he was having an internal struggle with his inner-self."

"What do you mean? Inner-self?" She asked.

"He means the hollow within him." They both turned around and saw Urahara standing there with his cane in his hand. His eyes were hidden by his hat as he gave them both his usual smile.

"When you were forced to go back to Soul Society, Rukia, Ichigo wanted to grow stronger so that he could rescue you. So, I put him through my training that made him stronger, faster. One part of the training was that he had to learn to control his inner hollow so that it would not take over him. Since then he has been in a constant battle against it so that it would not take over him. What I want to know is what made him give up? You felt it too didn't you?" Urahara looked over at Isshin who nodded his head in disappointment.

"Just about an hour ago I felt a sudden drop in his Reiatsu and then it surged higher than I had ever felt it before. But it had a hint of darkness in it. I was hoping that it wasn't Ichigo, but when I went up to his room, he was already gone. I was scared that he might hurt someone, so I had to go to shinigami form in case I had to stop him.

Rukia was shocked when he finished. Suddenly a voice in the back of her head began to bug her. A question that she had to answer. 'Did I cause this on him?" She grew nervous

"Rukia," Urahara said. She nearly jumped out of her own skin when he called her name. It was an unusual tone of voice coming from him.

"You were with him last. Do you know when this could have happened?" Rukia hesitated for a moment. Both Isshin and Urahara were glaring at her, which caused her to feel nervous. Then she let out a big sigh and then took a deep breath before she began to tell them about what happened. They both listened attentively. When she finished, they glanced at each other and nodded.

"That sounds about a good reason as to how he turned hollow." Urahara said. Isshin just nodded before he spoke.

"You know, I thought you and Ichigo were together already." Isshin said as he reached into his pocket. "I was going to say that would explain this." He pulled out a black silk panty from one of his pockets. "Look familiar?" He asked. Rukia looked at it and quickly swiped it away. Rukia's face turned beet red as Isshin and Urahara began to bust out laughing. She quickly shoved it into her pocket ashamed.

"He must've bought that for you didn't he?" Urahara said, elbowing her in the ribs. Isshin was trying to catch his breath as his laughter began to settle. Rukia had had enough. Within that moment, both Urahara and Isshin were sitting on the ground with a bruise on their heads. Rukia's cell phone began to ring. She reached into her pocket and grabbed the phone and answered it. Isshin and Urahara were both making jokes underneath their breaths.

Rukia hung up her phone with a grave look on her face. When the two saw her facial expression, they stopped laughing and waited for her to speak.

"That was Genryuusai. He said Soul Society is under attack… It's Ichigo…"


	7. Chapter 7 Plunge Into Soul Society

"_It's Ichigo…"_

Urahara and Isshin both had a grim look on their faces as Rukia looked up at them. They both looked at each other and then back at Rukia. There was a moment of silence shared between the three before Isshin let out a sigh.

"Well looks like I'll have to stop him." He said as he stated to walk away. Urahara began to chuckle as he lifted his cane.

"Where do you think you're going?" He said, raising his head so his eyes were visible. He swiftly lowered his cane and ripped a hole in what seems like an invisible curtain. It spread apart and a blue-purple vortex formed in its place.

"Benihime can still do that, I see." Isshin said with a smile. He walked over to the portal. Urahara laughed as he jumped in. Isshin was about to jump in before he turned to see Rukia just standing there. His face grew grave as he walked over to her. He understood why she was upset. He placed a hand on her shoulder, which caused her to look up at him. He gave her a weak smile and she felt the inclination to give one back.

"Everything is going to be ok." He said. "I'll personally stop him before he can hurt anyone or himself." He lightly shook her before leading her to the portal. They jumped into the portal at the same time and within that instant, arrived at Soul Society. Urahara was already waiting for them standing there looking down at Seireitei. Rukia walked over to the edge of the cliff and looked down. One section of Seireitei was in turmoil. Smoke filled the air as a fire engulfed the area.

The three of them rushed down. The sirens were going off as they entered through a broken wall. They rushed getting closer and closer to where the fire was at. When they arrived the smoke had already start to clear. A dark shadowy figure stood in the middle. His eyes glow a dark red as he stood there. He had a zanpaktaou held tightly in his hand.

When the smoke finally settled, Rukia's eyes grew wide with fear. Hollow Ichigo stood there with a huge grin on his face. He looked over and saw Isshin, Urahara, and Rukia standing there. He turned to face them and began to laugh.

"Ichigo fight him! Don't let him control you." Rukia suddenly shouted. A dark laughter filled the air as Hollow Ichigo raised his sword to strike.

"Ichigo… is no longer with us anymore. He's gone." Hollow Ichigo laughed. Hollow Ichigo had an evil grin on his face. Isshin stepped forward and began to draw his zanpaktaou. Hollow Ichigo suddenly let out an attack which Isshin blocked easily. He stood tall in front of him staring him down. Hollow Ichigo had a grin on his face as he lifted his sword.

"Bankai." He yelled. A sudden surge of Reiatsu filled the air. Isshin stepped back. Urahara drew Benihime. Rukia looked at the two of them and then back at Hollow Ichigo. She hesitated for a moment before she withdrew her zanpaktaou.

Isshin and Urahara were getting ready to strike when Hollow Ichigo disappeared. They looked around for him, when suddenly he appeared behind Isshin. Before Isshin could turn around, Hollow Ichigo struck him in the back. He fell to the ground on his hands and knees.

"Sing, Benihime." A flash of energy flew towards Hollow Ichigo. He lifted his sword and slashed it away with ease. He let out a chuckle before he disappeared again. Urahara lowered his head as Hollow Ichigo appeared above him. Urahara looked up and blocked his attack. Their swords clashed together and sparks flew everywhere.

Hollow Ichigo jumped back as Isshin stood up and brushed the dirt off his clothes.

"A little rusty are we?" Urahara said with a chuckle. Isshin grinned as he got into his battle stance.

"I'm just getting warmed up." The battle ensued with Hollow Ichigo fighting his "father," Isshin. The fight went all over the place. Rukia could hardly even follow their movements. They moved so fast that not even the sound of their swords could keep up with their movements.

Urahara stood still with his eyes downcast. "The sun always seems to shine in soul society." He whispered. Rukia gave him a questionable glance then back at the fight. The two stood there gasping for air. Hollow Ichigo stood there with an evil grin on his face. Isshin had a distraught look on his face.

"What's wrong 'father?' Can't keep up with your younger, faster, and better son?" Hollow Ichigo said with a chuckle. Isshin took a deep breath before a grin spread across his face. He stood wit his sword to the sky. A bright white aura surrounded him as his Reiatsu grew rapidly. "Bankai!"


	8. Chapter 8 Just no Match

A bright light filled the sky. It engulfed Isshin as he shone a brilliant white. Hollow Ichigo stood there grinning as he held his sword tightly in his hand. When the light disappeared, Isshin stood tall. His clothes had completely turned white, and his sword was pulsating white. His face had three white stripes going across his face. One of the stripes was on his forehead, the other through his eyes, and the last one directly underneath that.

Hollow Ichigo grinned as he looked over the new Isshin, in Bankai form.

"So this is your true power is it? Not too impressive." Hollow Ichigo spoke with a light chuckle. Isshin stood still never taking his eyes off of H. Ichigo. "What's wrong? Your new power makes you unable to talk or something? Well, I guess I'll just have to make you talk." H. Ichigo flung a black energy whip at him. Isshin did not move.

Just as it was about to touch him, Isshin lifted up his hand and stopped the whip in its tracks. H. Ichigo eyes widened with amazement, as did Rukia's, as Isshin flung the energy whip to the side. He slowly drew his sword.

"That was pretty impressive." H. Ichigo said. "I must applaud you for tha-" Before he could finish his statement, Isshin was standing behind him. He slowly turned around and then jumped backwards, away from him. H. Ichigo began to laugh loudly. Isshin had a slight grin on his face as he entered into his battle stance. H. Ichigo grinned widely as the fight continued.

Rukia was dumb-founded after seeing Isshin transform to Bankai mode. She gave up trying to follow their movements because they moved so fast she could not follow their actions. Urahara sat down next to her and pulled out a sake cup from his hat. He reached into his undergarments and produced a bottle of Sake which he started to pour into the saucer cup and drink it. "It's almost over." He whispered.

Just then a loud crash could be heard from all over Seireitei. When the cloud of smoke dissipated Isshin laid in the middle of the big crater. H. Ichigo hovered above him in mid-air with a big grin on his face.

"Why can't you guys listen to me?" H. Ichigo began. "Ichigo isn't here anymore, so why are you bothering me?" Isshin struggled to get up, but to no avail. He fell back down on the ground holding his side.

"Look. I promise I won't kill you, if you just go away. I'm trying to have some fun." H. Ichigo said. Rukia, filled with anger, shouted, "Stop lying. Ichigo I know you can hear me. Fight him!" She did not know where those words came from, or why she said it. H. Ichigo turned his head to set his attention on her.

"I told you, you stupid broad. Ichigo isn't here!" Suddenly he disappeared and then reappeared behind Rukia. Her eyes widened as she jumped forward and turned her body. He stood there smiling as he glared a hole into Rukia. She quickly drew her sword, but her hand was shaking so much that she couldn't get a good grip on it. Just then Urahara appeared in front of H. Ichigo.

"My turn." He said with a slight smile. He drew his sword and clashed together with H. Ichigo. The battle was just the same as Isshin's. Rukia could not keep up with their movements and in the end, Urahara ended up in the same crater lying right next to Isshin. Both were heavily wounded. Rukia ran to the edge and looked down with terror. She could feel H. Ichigo's presence grow closer and closer to her. She quickly turned around with her sword in her hand. She had a determined look on her face, as though she was ready to fight.

"It's seems as though you are next." H. Ichigo began to laugh. Rukia backed up until she almost fell into the hole. Just then a surge of energy flew at H. Ichigo. It struck him and caused him to fly back and fall onto the ground hard. Rukia turned around and there stood her brother, Byakuya. "You're very careless into letting him scare you like that." He said as he walked to Rukia. He looked down into the hole and stared for a moment at the two lying in the ground. Then his focus turned to H. Ichigo who was now standing up and wiping the blood off his face. His grin never left his face.

"Rematch eh…"


	9. Chapter 9 Unexpected

Byakuya stood there among the piles of rubble that had build up everywhere. He held his zanpakuto tightly in his hand. H. Ichigo grinned as he wiped the rubble and dust off of his clothes. As he dusted off his shoulders, Byakuya disappeared. It nearly caught H. Ichigo off guard before he was able to regain himself and block the initial attack.

"That was underhanded." H. Ichigo said. The grin never left his face.

"Be quiet, trash." Byakuya simply said. He jumped back a few feet before they continued their battle. Byakuya stayed on the offense while H. Ichigo blocked all of his attacks. Suddenly they stopped and created some space between them. Just then some blood began to trickle down Byakuya's free arm. H. Ichigo began to laugh. Then he stopped when he felt the cheek that did not have the mask on it began to produce blood.

H. Ichigo put his hand on it and then stared at the crimson red liquid that he rubbed on his fingertips. His grin instantly vanished as he focused his eyes directly into Byakuya's. A surge of Reiatsu came out of H. Ichigo. It grew greater and greater. Everything surrounding him except for the shinigamis turned into dust. The whole section of Seireitei turned into nothing but a barren battleground.

Rukia fell backwards at the huge amount of Reiatsu produced by H. Ichigo.

"Dark Bankai." H. Ichigo yelled. His words echoed in the air as dark purple and black bolts of lightning flew from his sword. Loud thunder rumbled throughout the area. When everything started to settle down, H. Ichigo stood there with a full hollow mask on. His clothes turned completely black. His Zanpakuto's blade turned into a black fire that roared like a lion. H. Ichigo's face did not change though. He still had that grave look on his face as he stood there.

"Bankai." Byakuya called out. Suddenly H. Ichigo and Byakuya were surrounded by thousands and thousands of swords. Just then H. Ichigo charged at Byakuya. He never moved as H. Ichigo jumped into the air and lifted his sword high above his head. Out of nowhere a sword flew and struck H. Ichigo in the side. He fell backwards as he pulled the sword out of his side. Blood shot out onto the ground.

"You're careless." Byakuya simply stated. H. Ichigo laid there on the ground and began to chuckle. He slowly rose to his feet. His grin was apparent on his face again. Just then he disappeared, and before Byakuya could react, H. Ichigo had attacked him with his Zanpakuto. Byakuya's eyes widened as blood quickly stained his clothes. His outer clothing caught on fire. He quickly put it out before it burned his skin. Then Byakuya fell to the ground. The swords circling them disappeared.

A pool of blood formed around Byakuya's lifeless body. Rukia, shocked when she saw him, quickly ran to his side. She quickly began to heal him as H. Ichigo stood there watching. He had a grin like no other on his face.

"It's pointless to heal him." He said. "I'm just going to kill him and you anyways." Rukia ignored his comments as she continued to heal him. He started to make his way over to them as his Zanpakuto roared even louder. He stood right behind Rukia who quickly turned around to face him. H. Ichigo lifted his sword above his head, looking down at Rukia with a sadistic look in his eyes. His sword began to make its decent. Rukia's eyes widened with fear. Suddenly Isshin's body flung over Rukia's and took the full impact of the hit.

His lifeless body sat crouched above Rukia as she was stunned to see him. He fell over next to Byakuya. His back was completely burned as a surge of pain completely filled his body. H. Ichigo began to laugh as Rukia jumped over to Isshin's side. She quickly rid his clothes of the fire that started.

"Enough." A voice shouted. H. Ichigo turned around and there stood someone Rukia never expected to see. Rukia looked shocked.

"It can't be…" She looked over at H. Ichigo and the man standing there, then back again.

"Well," H. Ichigo said. "It seems that you found me. How, may I ask?" He turned to face the man as he stood there. H. Ichigo laughed as the man looked at the hole in the ground to see Urahara sitting there tending to his wounds. Then he looked over at Rukia and gave her a weak smile. His face grew serious when he looked over and say his father lying there unconscious.

"It wasn't hard. I sensed your Reiatsu and knew where to find you." Rukia rose to her feet and slowly walked over to him. She could not believe who it was that stood in front of her. She reached out and placed her hand on his cheek.

'It is him.' She thought to herself. 'But how?'

"I'm sorry I ran off like that." He said grabbing her hand and kissing it. "I won't do it again." Rukia placed her hand on his cheek once again, but this time she pinched and pulled it.

"DON'T DO THAT AGAIN!!! YOU HAD ME WORRIED ABOUT YOU!!!" She yelled at him. Ichigo quickly swatted her hand and tended to his sore cheek.

"What was that for!?" He yelled back as she started to beat him up. They started to argue back and forth before H. Ichigo interrupted them by sending a whip of energy towards them.

"In case you guys don't remember, I am still here." H. Ichigo said. Ichigo led Rukia behind him as he drew his sword. H. Ichigo stood there holding his flaming sword as Ichigo's sword began to unravel the cloth around it. Then he held the sword in front of him yelling, "Bankai!"


	10. Chapter 10 Ichigo Vs Ichigo

Ichigo stood there staring down H. Ichigo. He held Zangetsu in his hands standing not to far from H. Ichigo. Rukia stepped back as she watched the intense stare down. Suddenly Ichigo let out the pre-empted strike. He appeared right in front of H. Ichigo and stood right in his face. H. Ichigo did not flinch as Ichigo grinned. They created distance again and the battle began. Their swords clashed with great sound cracking through the air like thunder during a storm.

Urahara slowly stepped out of the hole and made his way to Rukia. He was rubbing the back of his head as he placed a hand on Rukia's shoulder. She turned around and was relieved to see Urahara feeling ok.

"I bet you're wondering how this is possible." He stated. Rukia looked up at him with a curious look on her face. Urahara took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Well I wondered if this was going to happen or not. When I was training him before he rescued you, I had this weird feeling that something like this was going to happen. The hollow inside of him was very strong. He was also very smart. I knew he would find out how to separate himself from Ichigo."

"But how?" Rukia asked.

"When Ichigo left and ran to Soul Society, the hollow within in began to take over. With my best guess, I would say that when he reached Soul Society the hollow took over him. When Ichigo fought back and tore the mask off, the hollow did the technique to separate them. It called "Soul Separation." When done at the right time, the hollow inside of a person can escape the person and become another being.

"Then what happened to Ichigo?" Rukia inquisitively asked.

"I would have to say that when he lost Hollow Ichigo, it drained him of a lot of his power. He might have passed out from the separation." Rukia looked back at the two Ichigos that did battle. The many sounds of their swords clashing together filled the air. Urahara made his way over to Isshin. He stood looking down at him and chuckled.

"Old man you know you're not as strong as you used to be." He said. Isshin gave him a weak grin and a small chuckle.

"I had to protect my soon to be daughter-in-law." He said as he slowly turned his body and sat up. Urahara smiled as he looked back at Rukia who was still watching the fight. H. Ichigo and Ichigo seemed to have been an even match for each other. Neither of them let down or even thought about trying to stop.

They both kept up with their assault on each other. It seemed an even match until something occurred. As H. Ichigo landed on the ground, he slipped on the dirt and fell to the ground. Ichigo, sensing this could be his only chance, went in for the kill. Before H. Ichigo could recover from his fall, Ichigo's sword pierced H. Ichigo through his heart. Suddenly a loud yell filled the air as H. Ichigo began to fade away.

Ichigo stood there silent still looking at the ground where his former hollow used to lay. He lifted up his Zanpakuto from the dirt and stood there in silent reverence. Rukia quickly ran up to him and wrapped her arms around him. Ichigo looked down at the mass of hair that was buried in his chest and smiled. Byakuya slowly got to his feet and began to walk away.

"What's wrong?" Isshin said. "Jealous that you were beaten by Ichigo again?" He gave him a small grin. Byakuya stopped and stood there silently before he answered.

"No." Byakuya simply said. "I hate you have you as my uncle." And with that Byakuya disappeared. Isshin and Urahara began to laugh at his comment. Meanwhile, Ichigo led Rukia away from them so that he could talk to her privately.

"Are you Ok?" Ichigo asked placing a hand on her back. Rukia smiled as she moved closed to Ichigo.

"Don't worry about me. Where did you go?" She asked, her voice softened from before.

"When we were at the restaurant, I felt the hollow inside of me trying to take over me. At one point I knew I was not going to be able to control him, so I had to get away from you as far as possible so that I couldn't hurt you. I love you too much to hurt you. It took me awhile to get over it, but now I know that you and I will never be together, and I will just have to deal with it." Rukia stared deeply into his eyes and smiled. They embraced once more before they headed back and went home.

End

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Sequel coming soon. It'll have a character that I added myself and more than likely it will be set about 2 years into the future of this story's timeline. Look for it soon.


	11. Sequel Coming Soon

'_It's been a year now.'_

"_Hey Ichigo!"_

"_Rukia!"_

"_I Love you."_

"_I love you too!"_

Ichigo lied upon a hill. He held the object of his desire in his arms. Rukia was resting on his chest. She lightly snored. The sun shone brightly. The day was perfect. Ichigo stared up at the clouds as they passed by.

'Two years have passed since that day.' He thought to himself. The memories of his battle with his hollow were still fresh in his mind. How could he forget such a day? That was the day before Rukia revealed to him that she really did have feelings for him. She just didn't want to tell him because she was scared that their relationship would become strange.

But that was all in the past. This is the present; the here and now. Here he held Rukia in his arms. Now they are together. Everything is right…

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currently in the works right now. Just showing ya the beginning. I'll post the rest of the first chap either later on tonite or tomorrow morning.


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